Have you ever said, “I just don’t have a place where I fit.” OR “There isn’t enough space for anything else!” Most of us have desperately blurted out these phrases while looking in the mirror at our exhausted faces or while thumbing through our bulging calendars. The desire to have the type of relationship with Jesus we want is often overshadowed by the demands of our schedule. However, many times we manufacture hardships unnecessarily. Jesus creates places and spaces for [...]

Over the past few years there has been a movement of change in how we view the new year coming in and our focus. For many, New Year’s Day is about resolutions, goals we plan to focus on for the upcoming year. The down side of resolutions is that we often set ourselves up for failure instead of new beginnings. With resolutions we focus on what we need to change, what is wrong, or habits we need to do no [...]

I recently left a small pile of jewelry on the bathroom counter for my husband to fix for me. I went through a week or so where every time I wore a piece of jewelry I lost a piece of the bracelet or necklace. They, of course, are my favorites and literally get a lot of wear and tear. My husband said he would reattach all the pieces for me and jokingly quipped “You are just leaving a little charm [...]

“…Because His compassions never fail. They are new every morning. Great and beyond measure is Your faithfulness…Therefore I have hope in Him and wait expectantly for Him.” Lamentations 3:22-24 Waiting. The pain of infertility is often found in the waiting. I waited 4 years to get pregnant with my first. I waited a year before I was pregnant with my second. And now, I’m at 15 months. Almost a year and a half of waiting to get pregnant with our [...]

Ah, those dreaded initials that scream commitment. Do they make anyone else instantly sweat? What do they even mean?! According to Wikipedia , “It is an initialism derived from the French phrase Répondez s'il vous plaît meaning 'Please respond'” Many times these initials are at the end of an invitation of some sort be it a wedding, baby shower, or party. For me, often times they are a source of indecision and stress! An invitation is a request for us to be [...]

I’m sure you’re all familiar with the old adage, “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” I get the heart of this message and agree with it, truly this world does not need another voice joining the chorus of negativity, whining, complaining or insult throwing. Beyond that, I try to be a person that if I am speaking I am hoping it is to add to the equation and not subtract. A couple of months of [...]

We are connected. We all have a place in this vast, beautiful tapestry called Humanity, and we are all connected through the sustaining threads of relationship and belonging. We become woven together in our tightly-knitted communities built on Story. We share our stories of where we are, where we have been, and where we long to go so that we can be known, be seen, and belong. Within all of us is a longing for connection and purpose. We yearn [...]

“The power of prayer is on the end of the hearer, not the speaker.” Jodi Detrick We sometimes feel that if we could just muster up a truly powerful prayer, then our prayers would be answered in the way that we desire. I don’t know about you, but I just love a happy ending. A story with a pretty bow, tying all the ends together. Neat and tidy. But this isn’t life here on earth. And sometimes we are simply in [...]

Prayer is intimidating to me. I’ve always thought that you had to do something special - kneel, close your eyes, bow your head, fold your hands - to be in the right position to pray. And then after you had assumed the proper position, you had to have a very eloquent language to speak to God. From what I gathered, prayer was hard and well, it was kind of weird. Unnatural. When I listened to pastor or ministry leaders pray [...]

"Among the important lessons that the spiritual giants can teach us, and on which they have striking agreement, is that we are not likely to experience reality in prayer unless we practice a great deal of silent waiting. Far from prayer being a matter of words, it is often, at its best, freedom from words, since our own chatter can prevent our listening. Important as it may be for us to express our deepest desires to God, much as a [...]